This past Saturday everyone stayed in Accra. Most of the volunteers went to an Amnesty Conference here but I was not feeling well that morning and decided to try and sleep a bit more. I joined them for lunch and then Trivial Pursuit (British version) so I was really bad. Then we all went to a bar called Q Base to watch the Champions League Final...Barcelona v. Manchester which actually did entertain me the entire time. I found I actually got into it.
Sunday, Maria and Kim and I went to the Botanic Gardens and Cocoa Farm. The Botanic Gardens were beautiful and Cocoa Farms was just really interesting. Apparently it's the oldest cocoa farm in Ghana. They taught us how to dry out the seeds so it was really cool.
Monday was my first day in the Lab and it was and unfortunate day for me. They were in the middle of transitioning between supervisors so I didn't get to do anything yesterday. But today I ran some more rapid HIV tests (all negative :)) and learned how to take blood. I haven't gotten to actually take blood yet...I'm waiting on someone to come in with really good veins for my first attempt.
I'm still not eating well or feeling well after what little I do eat. I think I'll just have to get used to it until I leave.
Sorry this one isn't very entertaining...but I'm a bit rushed. So talk to you all later!
Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Monday, 30 May 2011
End of Week Two List.
1. Do not ask if they have peaches in England. (They do.)
2. Don't trust a taxi driver when he says he knows where he is going.
3. Don't get in a taxi that will cause you to leave with mysterious blood on the back of your calf.
4. Ghanaians don't form lines at ATMs or Tros. They follow "Survival of the Fittest."
5. I will never be the "fittest."
6. If it looks like rain...it won't rain.
7. If it looks clear...it will rain.
8. Host families only clean the bathrooms if there is a new volunteer coming in.
9. How to dry out cocoa beans.
10. The difference in Great Britain, the United Kingdom, and the British Isles.
11. Eat as much as you can when you go out to eat so you can last longer without eating the local cuisine.
12. ALWAYS carry baby wipes.
13. Find the cleanest bathrooms in your regular buildings...then coordinate your water/pee schedule to match when you'll be near those bathrooms.
14. It's impossible to "sleep in" here.
15. Do your laundry more than once a week.
16. Buy parasite medicine before swimming.
17. Random businessmen who have never used an ATM before will get ATM preference.
18. It is possible to get tired of chicken.
19. It is not possible to get tired of pineapple.
20. Always carry your rain jacket.
2. Don't trust a taxi driver when he says he knows where he is going.
3. Don't get in a taxi that will cause you to leave with mysterious blood on the back of your calf.
4. Ghanaians don't form lines at ATMs or Tros. They follow "Survival of the Fittest."
5. I will never be the "fittest."
6. If it looks like rain...it won't rain.
7. If it looks clear...it will rain.
8. Host families only clean the bathrooms if there is a new volunteer coming in.
9. How to dry out cocoa beans.
10. The difference in Great Britain, the United Kingdom, and the British Isles.
11. Eat as much as you can when you go out to eat so you can last longer without eating the local cuisine.
12. ALWAYS carry baby wipes.
13. Find the cleanest bathrooms in your regular buildings...then coordinate your water/pee schedule to match when you'll be near those bathrooms.
14. It's impossible to "sleep in" here.
15. Do your laundry more than once a week.
16. Buy parasite medicine before swimming.
17. Random businessmen who have never used an ATM before will get ATM preference.
18. It is possible to get tired of chicken.
19. It is not possible to get tired of pineapple.
20. Always carry your rain jacket.
Friday, 27 May 2011
Outreach.
Today was my first day to do medical outreach. Four of us were taken to a school to nurse the children's minor scrapes, ringworms, and rashes. It was so much fun! The kids absolutely love the attention so I got tons of pictures. It was great being able to be so hands-on. The leader, Richard, would guide and advise us on what to do if we needed assistance, but allowed us to do everything. We washed the cuts and scrapes with saline, and applied antibiotic creams and bandages. For the ringworm we applied a specific medication. But to be able to directly help a child and be able to see the effects directly was a wonderful experience. I will definitely go again.
Tomorrow I am traveling to Ada-foah with 3 other girls...Laura, Deena, and Maria. It should be a really relaxing weekend :) I'm having a great time here, but the city-life isn't my favorite so I really enjoy going away to the more scenic and natural destinations for the weekend. I've definitely decided I do not want to live in a big city when I start my own life...maybe a small one. But not one this big lol.
Now I need to go home and wash some laundry. Hope everyone's day is great!
Erin
Tomorrow I am traveling to Ada-foah with 3 other girls...Laura, Deena, and Maria. It should be a really relaxing weekend :) I'm having a great time here, but the city-life isn't my favorite so I really enjoy going away to the more scenic and natural destinations for the weekend. I've definitely decided I do not want to live in a big city when I start my own life...maybe a small one. But not one this big lol.
Now I need to go home and wash some laundry. Hope everyone's day is great!
Erin
Thursday, 26 May 2011
Time is FLYING.
I only have 2 weeks and 2 days left in Ghana...where is the time going?
This past weekend the volunteers took a trip to Wli...the list is as follows:
Me
Kim...US, Texas
Deena...US, LA (I think)
Harry...England
Nicole...England
Kate...England
Kanya...Australia
Jo...Australia
Nick...Holland
Corina...Switzerland
Sabine...Denmark
Phillip...Denmark
We had a great time. We stayed in The Waterfall Lodge and it was gorgeous. It was a 5 hour tro ride...but it honestly wasn't so bad. If you had told me two weeks ago that I would be able to sleep on a tro, I wouldn't have believed you...but it is true. The first day we hung out and played football (soccer) and volleyball...and just joked around. The next day we did the hikes to the waterfalls. I attempted to hike to the upper falls...which is about 4 miles...uphill about the steepness of bleachers...up a mountain. The whole hike lasted about 2 hours. 5 minutes in...feeling good. 10 minutes in...face red and struggling to catch a breath. 15 minutes in...literally can't catch a breath and borrow an inhaler. 20 minutes in...still having trouble breathing and soaked through my shirt with sweat. 25 minutes in...two girls turn back but I'm too stubborn and decide to lead the group to set the pace a bit slower. 30 minutes in...I give it up. I was pretty confident that if I continued, the others in the group would be forced to deal with my limp body when I passed out. We weren't even halfway there and I was struggling to see straight...so I went back down to the lower falls....the problem being that the other girls had already turned back, so I was forced to go back alone.
Now I don't know if any of you have ever been alone in an African jungle, but if you have, you will probably agree with me that it is the single most terrifying thing to happen to me in my entire life. Especially since another group of volunteers a couple weeks ago had a Green Mamba snake fall into the middle of their group while hiking the same mountain. As if descending a bleacher-steep, rocky mountain wasn't hard enough to do alone...I was constantly thinking that I was being stalked by a leopard or was about to tread in deadly snake territory. So it took me about 40 minutes of mountain descending alone before I found the other girls. I've never seen my knees shake so badly...I was sure they were just going to fail me and leave me stranded forever. But they, and I, kept going somehow...Praying (literally) the entire time that I would not end up as a jungle cat's dinner, or somehow get myself pinned between rocks like that guy who had to cut off his arm.
All of it was worth it, though. Kate, Corina and I spent some time in the lower falls and it was stunning. I got lots of pictures and had a nice, refreshing swim (which I found out later DOES contain parasites...more on that later) and cooled off.
Monday I had my last day in ART and followed around a dietician . It was interesting but I didn't get much hands on action that day. I did, however, learn how to take blood pressures which I know will prove to be useful later in life.
Tuesday was my first day in PMTCT (Prevention of mother to child transmission) where I actually performed HIV and Syphillis tests on pregnant women. I got to prick their fingers and put the blood on the testing strips and add the reagents to see the results. We tested about 40 women and only 2 out of the 40 were positive for HIV (nobody was positive for Syphillis). One lady didn't really say much when she was told her results. I got the impression she may have been expecting it. The other lady was heartbreaking, however. She didn't cry, but when I looked in her eyes I could see all of the fear that she was trying to hold in. Apparently she had just been granted a visa to the U.S. (which is really hard for Ghanaians to do) and was terrified they would take it away from her now that she tested positive. I hope that they don't. This was probably the hardest moment that I have had here so far.
Wednesday was an African holiday...African Unity Day...so we were off of work. All of the girl volunteers went to the pool at the hotel Shangri La and spent the day there. It was extremely relaxing. Later that night, I fell down the stairs at home...really hurt and now I have quite a few deep bruises :-/
Today was my last day in PMTCT and I spent the day watching 2 month old babies and 9 month old babies get vaccinated. These babies were not HIV babies, but normal, healthy babies. I got to hold a few of them...which really started to confirm my thoughts that I may want to work with babies for a living. I got some great pictures...I'm finally comfortable enough with the culture to know when it is appropriate to ask someone for a picture. A lot of women are hesitant, especially when their children are involved...but I am happy to say that the women I asked today were very happy to participate. Some even took pictures of me! After work I stopped by the pharmacy to get some parasite medicine from swimming at Wli... taking the medicine will also ensure my safety if I want to swim again this weekend in Ada-foah because the water there also contains the same parasite. But all is well, and the medicine was cheap so we'll see! :)
Side note...someone don't let me forget to tell Carmen about spider-hunting and bug bite shockers.
Hope everyone is well and I will blog again soon!
Erin
This past weekend the volunteers took a trip to Wli...the list is as follows:
Me
Kim...US, Texas
Deena...US, LA (I think)
Harry...England
Nicole...England
Kate...England
Kanya...Australia
Jo...Australia
Nick...Holland
Corina...Switzerland
Sabine...Denmark
Phillip...Denmark
We had a great time. We stayed in The Waterfall Lodge and it was gorgeous. It was a 5 hour tro ride...but it honestly wasn't so bad. If you had told me two weeks ago that I would be able to sleep on a tro, I wouldn't have believed you...but it is true. The first day we hung out and played football (soccer) and volleyball...and just joked around. The next day we did the hikes to the waterfalls. I attempted to hike to the upper falls...which is about 4 miles...uphill about the steepness of bleachers...up a mountain. The whole hike lasted about 2 hours. 5 minutes in...feeling good. 10 minutes in...face red and struggling to catch a breath. 15 minutes in...literally can't catch a breath and borrow an inhaler. 20 minutes in...still having trouble breathing and soaked through my shirt with sweat. 25 minutes in...two girls turn back but I'm too stubborn and decide to lead the group to set the pace a bit slower. 30 minutes in...I give it up. I was pretty confident that if I continued, the others in the group would be forced to deal with my limp body when I passed out. We weren't even halfway there and I was struggling to see straight...so I went back down to the lower falls....the problem being that the other girls had already turned back, so I was forced to go back alone.
Now I don't know if any of you have ever been alone in an African jungle, but if you have, you will probably agree with me that it is the single most terrifying thing to happen to me in my entire life. Especially since another group of volunteers a couple weeks ago had a Green Mamba snake fall into the middle of their group while hiking the same mountain. As if descending a bleacher-steep, rocky mountain wasn't hard enough to do alone...I was constantly thinking that I was being stalked by a leopard or was about to tread in deadly snake territory. So it took me about 40 minutes of mountain descending alone before I found the other girls. I've never seen my knees shake so badly...I was sure they were just going to fail me and leave me stranded forever. But they, and I, kept going somehow...Praying (literally) the entire time that I would not end up as a jungle cat's dinner, or somehow get myself pinned between rocks like that guy who had to cut off his arm.
All of it was worth it, though. Kate, Corina and I spent some time in the lower falls and it was stunning. I got lots of pictures and had a nice, refreshing swim (which I found out later DOES contain parasites...more on that later) and cooled off.
Monday I had my last day in ART and followed around a dietician . It was interesting but I didn't get much hands on action that day. I did, however, learn how to take blood pressures which I know will prove to be useful later in life.
Tuesday was my first day in PMTCT (Prevention of mother to child transmission) where I actually performed HIV and Syphillis tests on pregnant women. I got to prick their fingers and put the blood on the testing strips and add the reagents to see the results. We tested about 40 women and only 2 out of the 40 were positive for HIV (nobody was positive for Syphillis). One lady didn't really say much when she was told her results. I got the impression she may have been expecting it. The other lady was heartbreaking, however. She didn't cry, but when I looked in her eyes I could see all of the fear that she was trying to hold in. Apparently she had just been granted a visa to the U.S. (which is really hard for Ghanaians to do) and was terrified they would take it away from her now that she tested positive. I hope that they don't. This was probably the hardest moment that I have had here so far.
Wednesday was an African holiday...African Unity Day...so we were off of work. All of the girl volunteers went to the pool at the hotel Shangri La and spent the day there. It was extremely relaxing. Later that night, I fell down the stairs at home...really hurt and now I have quite a few deep bruises :-/
Today was my last day in PMTCT and I spent the day watching 2 month old babies and 9 month old babies get vaccinated. These babies were not HIV babies, but normal, healthy babies. I got to hold a few of them...which really started to confirm my thoughts that I may want to work with babies for a living. I got some great pictures...I'm finally comfortable enough with the culture to know when it is appropriate to ask someone for a picture. A lot of women are hesitant, especially when their children are involved...but I am happy to say that the women I asked today were very happy to participate. Some even took pictures of me! After work I stopped by the pharmacy to get some parasite medicine from swimming at Wli... taking the medicine will also ensure my safety if I want to swim again this weekend in Ada-foah because the water there also contains the same parasite. But all is well, and the medicine was cheap so we'll see! :)
Side note...someone don't let me forget to tell Carmen about spider-hunting and bug bite shockers.
Hope everyone is well and I will blog again soon!
Erin
Monday, 23 May 2011
Things I have learned in Ghana so far...
So yesterday marked the one week mark of my arrival...and I decided that for every one week mark, I will compile a list of things I learned that week.
1. Don't give out your number.
2. Switch any rings you have to your left hand so the boys think you are married.
3. Not only are Teva shoes wonderful for the mud, dirt and African terrain, they also are great for killing bugs in your room.
4. U.S. is the only country where I am not old enough to drink.
5. No matter what a taxi driver tries to convince you, any price over 10 cedis is a rip-off. And usually anything over 5 is as well.
6. People from Holland and Denmark tend to be the least friendly.
7. All other countries think Americans are kinda dumb.
8. Don't attempt a 4 mile uphill hike up a mountain if you have never attempted such a feat before and you have a heart condition.
9. Use your mosquito net. Bug spray is also not optional at night.
10. Despite how the other volunteers may make fun of you for buying a fan...it's WORTH IT!
11. It is possible to fall asleep on a trotro.
12. Iron your lab coat.
13. Always greet persons of higher status. They will ignore you until you do so.
14. Ghanians are perpetually late/lenient about time. It's normal here.
15. Don't walk in an African jungle by yourself. If it's necessary, continuously pray and don't panic.
16. Don't get out of a taxi to walk home if you don't know how far away your home is.
17. When a guy says he wants to be your "friend" here, it basically means he wants to get with you.
18. Most children LOVE having their picture taken. Others will scream and cry if you don't ask first.
19. When working in a hospital, always ask to do things or you will otherwise just end up sitting there.
20. Take advantage of every opportunity you have to interact with the other volunteers. They are your family here.
Alright guys, I hope you have a wonderful day :)
Erin
1. Don't give out your number.
2. Switch any rings you have to your left hand so the boys think you are married.
3. Not only are Teva shoes wonderful for the mud, dirt and African terrain, they also are great for killing bugs in your room.
4. U.S. is the only country where I am not old enough to drink.
5. No matter what a taxi driver tries to convince you, any price over 10 cedis is a rip-off. And usually anything over 5 is as well.
6. People from Holland and Denmark tend to be the least friendly.
7. All other countries think Americans are kinda dumb.
8. Don't attempt a 4 mile uphill hike up a mountain if you have never attempted such a feat before and you have a heart condition.
9. Use your mosquito net. Bug spray is also not optional at night.
10. Despite how the other volunteers may make fun of you for buying a fan...it's WORTH IT!
11. It is possible to fall asleep on a trotro.
12. Iron your lab coat.
13. Always greet persons of higher status. They will ignore you until you do so.
14. Ghanians are perpetually late/lenient about time. It's normal here.
15. Don't walk in an African jungle by yourself. If it's necessary, continuously pray and don't panic.
16. Don't get out of a taxi to walk home if you don't know how far away your home is.
17. When a guy says he wants to be your "friend" here, it basically means he wants to get with you.
18. Most children LOVE having their picture taken. Others will scream and cry if you don't ask first.
19. When working in a hospital, always ask to do things or you will otherwise just end up sitting there.
20. Take advantage of every opportunity you have to interact with the other volunteers. They are your family here.
Alright guys, I hope you have a wonderful day :)
Erin
Friday, 20 May 2011
Last post before the weekend
Hey everybody.
My friend Kim and I had a little adventure that I would like to use to teach everyone what you should not do when you are in Ghana. First of all, don't leave Danqua Circle at 5 o clock...it will be nearly IMPOSSIBLE to get transportation back home. Second, if the trotros are full and you're frustrated with waiting...just keep waiting. Otherwise, taking a drop taxi becomes super awkward when the taxi driver wants to charge you 10 cedis and you force him to take 4 even though it's rush hour. He WILL be rude to you. Thirdly, if you are in standstill traffic...do NOT get out of the car and just decide to walk...ESPECIALLY if you do not know how far away you are. It will be a ridiculously long walk and it will get dark before you get home and you will be forced to pick up yet another taxi to avoid walking at night. Le sigh. On top of everything else, you will miss your nap and barely make it in time for dinner.
Last night all of the volunteers went out together again. It's really fun to hang out with 20 kids from all over the world because most of our conversations revolve around different words that Americans, Australians, Canadians, and Brits use and which ones are better. For example a Canadian and I got into a heated discussion with two Brits about the words Jelly, Jam, and Jello.
Today I worked in the ART clinic again, and it was much better today. The doctor was nicer and more helpful. He's going to teach me how to take blood pressures on Monday :)
Tonight we are all going to the Indian restaurant again to celebrate another going away date...should be fun. And on Saturday and Sunday about 15 of us are taking a trip to see the Wli waterfalls about 4 hours away. Hope everyone else is well!
My friend Kim and I had a little adventure that I would like to use to teach everyone what you should not do when you are in Ghana. First of all, don't leave Danqua Circle at 5 o clock...it will be nearly IMPOSSIBLE to get transportation back home. Second, if the trotros are full and you're frustrated with waiting...just keep waiting. Otherwise, taking a drop taxi becomes super awkward when the taxi driver wants to charge you 10 cedis and you force him to take 4 even though it's rush hour. He WILL be rude to you. Thirdly, if you are in standstill traffic...do NOT get out of the car and just decide to walk...ESPECIALLY if you do not know how far away you are. It will be a ridiculously long walk and it will get dark before you get home and you will be forced to pick up yet another taxi to avoid walking at night. Le sigh. On top of everything else, you will miss your nap and barely make it in time for dinner.
Last night all of the volunteers went out together again. It's really fun to hang out with 20 kids from all over the world because most of our conversations revolve around different words that Americans, Australians, Canadians, and Brits use and which ones are better. For example a Canadian and I got into a heated discussion with two Brits about the words Jelly, Jam, and Jello.
Today I worked in the ART clinic again, and it was much better today. The doctor was nicer and more helpful. He's going to teach me how to take blood pressures on Monday :)
Tonight we are all going to the Indian restaurant again to celebrate another going away date...should be fun. And on Saturday and Sunday about 15 of us are taking a trip to see the Wli waterfalls about 4 hours away. Hope everyone else is well!
Thursday, 19 May 2011
Loving Ghana.
Hi all.
Last night all of the volunteers went to eat Indian food together to celebrate 4 of the Danish boys' going away date. 'Twas delicious.
Today I went to the Maternity ward in the hospital because my clinic was closed for the day...The morning was really great. I made friends with a doctor when I came in (who I didn't know was a doctor at the time lol) so he was really helpful all morning and literally drug me by hand as he went on his rounds. The ward has 3 rooms with about 6 women and their children in each, so it is really different from back home! And the babies stay in the beds with the mothers instead of having a separate bed for baby. While we were in the second room, one of the mother left to do something and while she was gone her baby started crying...just a little at first, but after about 5 minutes it had turned into wailing and I couldn't stand it any longer. I plucked up the courage to ask the nurse if I could go hold its tiny hand to comfort it, and she agreed...but once I got over there she asked me to just pick it up. Score. It stopped crying immediately...he just wanted a little snuggle. The mother walked in on me holding her baby and just smiled...SO different from what would have happened in the U.S.! The rest of the day I spent waiting to watch a delivery...4 hours...and when it finally came time to deliver, they informed me that I could not watch for some weird reason or another. After 4 hours...they didn't think to tell me sooner? That's how it is in Ghana though. The morning was worth it so my frustration didn't last very long.
After work some friends I've made and I visited Oxford street...known for its artisan stalls. It was the most fun and crazy and stressful thing all at once. All of them would grab you and follow you around asking you to buy RANDOM things that you would probably never buy on your own...And I got my first taste of bargaining. One of the girls who has been here longer gave me some guidance...and I got a backpack, woven bracelet with my name, and necklace all for 13 cedis. Now I need a shower.
Last night all of the volunteers went to eat Indian food together to celebrate 4 of the Danish boys' going away date. 'Twas delicious.
Today I went to the Maternity ward in the hospital because my clinic was closed for the day...The morning was really great. I made friends with a doctor when I came in (who I didn't know was a doctor at the time lol) so he was really helpful all morning and literally drug me by hand as he went on his rounds. The ward has 3 rooms with about 6 women and their children in each, so it is really different from back home! And the babies stay in the beds with the mothers instead of having a separate bed for baby. While we were in the second room, one of the mother left to do something and while she was gone her baby started crying...just a little at first, but after about 5 minutes it had turned into wailing and I couldn't stand it any longer. I plucked up the courage to ask the nurse if I could go hold its tiny hand to comfort it, and she agreed...but once I got over there she asked me to just pick it up. Score. It stopped crying immediately...he just wanted a little snuggle. The mother walked in on me holding her baby and just smiled...SO different from what would have happened in the U.S.! The rest of the day I spent waiting to watch a delivery...4 hours...and when it finally came time to deliver, they informed me that I could not watch for some weird reason or another. After 4 hours...they didn't think to tell me sooner? That's how it is in Ghana though. The morning was worth it so my frustration didn't last very long.
After work some friends I've made and I visited Oxford street...known for its artisan stalls. It was the most fun and crazy and stressful thing all at once. All of them would grab you and follow you around asking you to buy RANDOM things that you would probably never buy on your own...And I got my first taste of bargaining. One of the girls who has been here longer gave me some guidance...and I got a backpack, woven bracelet with my name, and necklace all for 13 cedis. Now I need a shower.
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